Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: Assignments

Intellectual Freedom and Libraries:

Assignments Overview

September 5, 2006 (taken from final syllabus)

Assignments and Grade Percentages:
¨ 10 Reading Reflections and Responses—5% each (50%)

¨ Banned Book Assignment and Engagement in Discussion (10%)

¨ Editorial Assignment/Short Story Assignment and Critiques (10%)

¨ Electronic Pathfinder or Blog and Critiques (30%)

¨ Optional: Wikipedia contributions (personal and professional pride)

Class Schedule:
(Detailed readings and assignment instructions will be provided separately.)
9/ 5: Week 1: No assignment due.

9/11: Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due.

9/18: Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.

9/25: Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.

10/2: Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

10/9: Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.

10/16: Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.

10/23: Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.

10/30: Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.

11/6: Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

11/13: Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.

11/20: Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due.

11/27: Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due.

12/4: Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

12/11: Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning.

From the syllabus:
Week 1: Preview the Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition; ALA, Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org ; American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org ; The Creative Commons and other sites and sources related to intellectual freedom.

Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due. Why is Intellectual Freedom So Important Today?
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 1:
Fahrenheit 451 (optional)

Reading Reflection 1: How does the history of the struggle to defend intellectual freedom inform our learning for today? Use specific examples from the readings. What are the issues of most interest to you?

Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2.1-17
Fahrenheit 451—The book and/or the movie (Optional)

Reading Reflection 2: Select two or three of the readings on interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and explain the real life situations where these interpretations would apply. Also suggest why some people would have objections to these interpretations and how you might find a practical solution in real life. Remember that the Library Bill of Rights describes the ideal. In everyday life, we all make decisions about how to apply these ideals to our own situations.

Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2 and the USA Patriot Act

Reading Reflection 3: Consider the Library Bill of Rights in light of the USA Patriot Act. How do librarians make the case for patriotism by defending the open and private access to a wide variety of information in our collections? Note the specific content in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on information rights and freedom of expression. . Should these documents be displayed in libraries? How?

Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.1-6
See also The American Civil Liberties Union; the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and other key web sites.

Reading Reflection 4: The Freedom to Read documents like the Library Bill of Rights are challenged by the USA Patriot Act and by the various bills and laws that seek to address patron privacy, children’s use of the Internet, and intellectual property right, particularly copyright. Based on your reading and thinking, create a list of five to eight answers to frequently asked questions that could be used by a public library staff. For example, “Why don’t we give parents a list of books read by their children?” Another example: “Can the homeless sleep in the library? Take a bath? Cook?” (See also IFM, Part 4.5)

Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.7-11
Search for relevant articles in the library and information science databases.

Reading Reflection 5: In addition to the readings from the Intellectual Freedom Manual, look for Internet Use Policies in your area or in another familiar setting. Identify the common features and the find out what problems are faced in real life practice? Use documentation from three to five professional articles illustrating problems and practices.

Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 4
See also the Social Responsibility Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

Reading Reflection 6: The Office of Intellectual Freedom has been involved in many legal cases over the years. Look at the OIF website and note the scope of the current cases. To what extent should local librarians (including yourself) become involved in the legal and political issues before us today? Should librarians run for office? Write letters to the editor? Participate in protests?

Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 5
Family Friendly Libraries
Focus on the Family
Lester Asheim, “Selection not censorship.” Various versions.

Reading Reflection 7: Using the principle of selection not censorship, of inclusiveness not exclusiveness, consider how to present the case against censorship to library boards, city/county government, religious groups, and other community groups. Find two or three specific cases in the professional literature to consider.

Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Reading Reflection 8: Using the LIS literature, find three examples from the last twenty years that describe successful campaigns against censorship. Look specifically for the roles of the library staff members. Did anyone lose a job? Almost? Why is preparation for challenges to intellectual freedom so important?

Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due. Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom; The Creative Commons and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Reading Reflection 9: Consider alternative approaches to protecting intellectual property rights. How are digital content resources on the web changing the stakes for publishers and other content providers? What new business models are being tried?

Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due. The Digital Divide and Intellectual Freedom.

Reading Reflection 10: Consider groups in society who are traditionally disadvantaged by lacking access to or interest in/motivation to use technology. You may want to revisit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and global institutions such as IFLA and UNESCO. What can a local library, a for-profit organization, or a professional association do to address the digital divide, locally or globally?

Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning